


Fungus Monster

by ElectronicStar



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Clerith, F/M, Fluff, Last of Us, modern!AU, sfx
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25512721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectronicStar/pseuds/ElectronicStar
Summary: Aerith is a special effects make-up artist and Cloud is a guinea pig. Modern!AU
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	Fungus Monster

“Cloud!“ Aerith called him one day and he wasn't sure if he liked the over excited tone in her voice. Because it usually meant he had to be a guinea pig. “Cloud, I'm playing a real good game right now and I wanna try something! Please be my model?“

Cloud sighed, having already expected this question. Aerith was learning to be a special effects make-up artist and he usually had to be the one who's transformed into all kinds of things. Maybe he should just tell her no. “Uh...sure.“ Next time. He'll tell her no next time.

“Yay! You're the best!“ She'd said and now, a few days later they met up at his place to work. Well she worked, while he sat there for a few hours and let her put make-up and prosthetic on his face.

“Alright. Sit down and relax.“

Cloud already sat when she started talking and made himself comfortable on the chair, since he'll stay there for a few hours. “I know the drill.“

Aerith giggled and brought everything she'll need for this. “This'll look so cool.“ She said more to herself as she began with her work.

To be very honest...the reason why he kept saying yes to her SFX experiments were to spend more time with her. And because...

Cloud felt himself shiver, when she began touching his face to put all kinds of things on his face and mold it. He never really bothered to memorize what she's using on him, but it didn't matter anyway. He was just a model after all, he didn't need to know that kind of stuff. But whenever her soft fingers touched him all over his face, it always felt like electricity's going all over his body. His stomach filling up with butterflies, his blood boiling, skin tingling, heart running wild.

Every time he was so close to confess Aerith his feelings for her, but he didn't want to ruin their friendship...What if she didn't have the same feelings for him? Things will be awkward forever. “Close your eyes.“ She told him and he did as he's told. Though it only made his senses go high-ware...Things got more intense, at least for him. Cloud had to swallow a big lump in his throat to talk again.

“What monster will I be now?“ He mumbled, as he felt her putting stuff over his right eye.

“What makes you think you're gonna be a monster?“ She asked innocently and if Cloud could, he'd roll his eyes. She's turned him into all kinds of monster till now. “Okay, I'm playing this game...These creatures look really cool.“

“Okay...“ It looked like she didn't want to give him more specific details and waited till he saw it for himself.

To be honest, he didn't know what happened then. He must've fallen asleep at some point. But can you really blame him? The girl he loved was technically giving him a face massage. When he woke up, he only had his left eye to see and he felt all kinds of things glued all around his face.

“Oh, good morning.“ Sang Aerith cheerily. “Had a nice nap, sleepy-head?“ Cloud hummed and tried to wake up completely. “We're almost done. You're a very heavy sleeper, you know that?“

“Wait...what?“ He mumbled, the remaining eye blinking confused. “How long did I sleep?“

“Too long.“ Aerith giggled and Cloud felt himself blushing under the make-up and prosthetics. “Like I said, we're almost done. I wasn't able to wake you up, no matter what I tried. So I just gave up and went back to work.“

The blonde felt guilty for falling asleep like that. Not just because she had no one to talk to, but also because their time together was shorter now. “Sorry.“

“It's okay!“ She said, as she made a few details around his eye. “At least you relaxed like I told you to. You always were a good listener.“ Cloud could only give her a little, sheepish smile. Actually she was the only one who could say that about him. Everyone else told him he couldn't listen to them at all. But they weren't as important as Aerith. And she was the only one he could listen to for hours and never get bored. Her voice was so beautiful like that of an angel and her laugh was like a song he could listen to on repeat.

Aerith added a few more details, before she finally said “Done!“ The blonde's head felt so heavy that he wondered how many of that stuff she put on his face. Getting, up and stretching his tired limbs, he made his way to the mirror and actually jumped at his reflection. “Holy...!“ He was a zombie. But not some 'normal' zombie you'd imagine. It looked like there are fungi growing out of his eye and skull. “What kind of game are you playing?“ He asked, but at the second look it wasn't that bad anymore. She did a real good job actually. It looked so real...

“It's called ' _The last of Us_ '. A fungal virus is infecting the people there, turning them into zombies. It's actually based on a real fungus that infects ants, you know.“ Cloud only hummed. Yeah he's heard of this game before, and how good it's supposed to be. But he didn't have the time to play it yet.

“So? What do you say?“ She asked him then, looking at him with big and hopeful eyes.

“It's really good.“ The blonde answered, looking from her, back to the mirror. It looked amazingly good. That girl had some big talent.

Cloud looked at her again, when she gave him the biggest smile he's ever seen on her. “I'm glad you like your new look! Thanks for being my model. Again.“

He couldn't help but give her a small smile in return. “No problem.“ Then he noticed her grabbing her phone from a table and pointed the camera at him.

“Do you mind if I take some pictures and show it to a few friends and my teachers?“ She asked, as always. And his answer was always the same, too.

“Go on.“ Smiling brightly again, something Cloud grew to love seeing on her and could stare at forever, she took lots of pictures of him from different angles. He even played along and actually pretended to be a zombie for her, following her instruction how these 'Stalkers' behaved and also made a shot where he should pretend to bite her.

“You know, I actually wanted to make you a Clicker. But I thought I should start small.“ Aerith said, once their photo shooting was done.

“Clicker?“ At his question, she tapped something on her phone, before showing him a picture of these Clickers. “Holy shit...“

“I know right! Really cool!“ That's not really the word he'd use...The human face was nowhere to be seen on these Clickers. The fungus grew and spread all over it, covering the face completely. “They're blind, so they use these clicking noises to 'see'. You know echolocation.“

“I know what echolocation is, thank you.“ Mumbled Cloud, only earning himself a giggle from her.

“Maybe one day I can make you a Bloater. I suppose you'll have to wear a fat-suit then.“ She continued, before showing her a picture of a 'Bloater'. That thing was really fat and completely covered in fungi.

“Forget it.“ He said and ignored Aeriths cute pout. “Now remove that monster on my face.“ That made Aerith pout more.

“Really? We just finished, don't you wanna wear that a bit longer.“

Cloud knew that it's a lot of work for her, but...“Why should I? And what if someone comes over? They'll be scared to death.“ Like Tifa. She's usually one to come over.

“You're right...“ The girl sighed and it almost made him rethink it. Almost. Then she went back to her bag and looked for something. And a gasp told him that something's not wrong. “Oh no!“

Cloud tilted his head and went closer to her. “What's wrong?“

The brunette looked up at him apologetically. “I forgot the solvent I need to get this off.“

“It's okay.“ He said, shrugging. “Just get it. I didn't plan to leave my apartment soon anyway. No problem, right?“

Still, she looked very sad and guilty. “I'm still sorry, Cloud.“

He shook his head and gently guided her to the door. “It's no big deal. Things can happen.“

“You really are the best!“ Grabbing her purse, she quickly put on her shoes. “I'll hurry!“

“Don't hurt yourself! And bring the game!“ He called after her, as she ran down the stairs. Then he closed the door again, no need to scare his neighbors to death, and decided to watch some tv till she came back. Weirdly enough, roughly ten minutes later someone knocked on his door. “Well, that was fast...“ He mumbled, even though Aerith had like a thirteen minute way to her place. But when he opened the door, he looked into a pair of ruby red eyes widening in shock.

“Holy shit!“ Tifa exclaimed in panic, backing away from him. Meanwhile Cloud looked around to see if there's someone in the hallway who could see them. There was no one.

“Tifa, calm down.“ Said Cloud in a calming voice, but it seemed to make her angrier. She stomped over to him and punched his arm “Ow!“

“You idiot! You scared me to death!“

Cloud rubbed his hurting arm, frowning at his childhood friend. “It's not like I planned to do this...“ He grumbled, before pulling Tifa into his apartment to prevent a scene in the hallway.

“Why the hell are you looking like a monster?!“

“Aerith came over. She said she played a horror game and wanted me as a model.“ He quickly explained.

Tifa was still staring at him warily. Well, she's never been the biggest fan of horror stuff...“That explains everything...But hey, this might be a good thing for Halloween, right?“

“Thought you didn't like Halloween?“ He asked teasingly, earning himself a glare and another hit on his arm. The same spot.

“Not when people scare me all the time! But when I can have revenge on everyone...“ Cloud couldn't help but smile a bit, thinking of all the Halloween parties they went with their friends -he was dragged there involuntarily- and ended up scaring Tifa to death with everything they've got.

“You'll have to ask Aerith if she can turn you into a monster.“

“Oh, will do!“ Then she seemed to realize something very important. Cloud wondered when she'll notice already. “Hey...where is Aerith? She's not hiding somewhere to scare me, right?“ She asked, looking around.

“No, don't worry. She forgot the stuff to take of _this_ stuff.“ He explained, pointing at his face.

“Well, you know, I think your face looks better than before.“

Cloud ignored her laughing at frowned at her. “Funny.“ They were interrupted, when they heard someone knocking on the door. The blonde was about to answer, but then remembered how he looked like. If it's anyone else but Aerith again, this won't look good. He looked to Tifa, asking her silently to answer the door.

“I'll get it.“ She said, having understood his look and went to the door. Cloud couldn't see who it was, but he heard some squealing. “Hey, Aerith!“ Greeted Tifa way too loudly and hugged the older girl.

“Tifa, nice to see you.“ The girls came inside and Aerith took off her shoes. “What are you doing here?“

“Oh, just wanted to pay Cloud a visit. Didn't expect him to turn into a zombie though...“ She glanced at Cloud, who just shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't like he planned this to happen.

“Sorry, this is my fault-“

“Did you scare me to death with a zombie face?“ Interrupted Tifa, while Aerith only shook her head. “Then it's not your fault.“ The girls smiled at each other and it seemed that they forgot that Cloud was in the room, too.

“Ahem!“ He fake-cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. And he got it. Aerith looked at him and seemed to remember why she was here in the first place.

“Oh! Sorry, I'll remove this real quick.“ Then she rummaged in her purse and pulled out a bottle of solvent for make up and whatever else stuck on his face.

Cloud sat on his chair and made himself comfortable. Removing this didn't take so long, but he used every moment he could to relax. “Go to work then.“

“So bossy...“ Mumbled Aerith. He didn't need to look to know she's pouting. But he did look when the girls were giggling. Though he couldn't tell what they were talking about telepathically. “Alright, let's cure you from that fungal virus.“

“Please...“ Aerith grabbed everything she needed and came to his side to finally free him from this mask.

“Okay, I guess I should get going then.“ Said Tifa a moment later, making Aerith stop.

“What? Why? You can stay.“

“This is still my apartment...“ Cloud mumbled, frowning at Aerith. Not that he didn't want Tifa to stay, it's still his decision if he wanted someone to stay or not.

But the girls ignored him completely. “Okay. How about I'll get us something to eat then?“

Aerith grinned at their mutual friend happily. “Yay! I'm starving!“

Then they looked at him as if they actually asked him for permission. Or at least his opinion. Because even if he said no, they'd do whatever they wanted anyway. “Sure.“

“Burger sound good?“ Suggested Tifa, which Aerith immediately agreed on.

“Sure.“ Mumbled Cloud again, he was hungry enough that he could eat anything right now.

Tifa went to the door and put on her shoes. “Okay, I'm off!“ She called and left them.

Smiling more to herself, Aerith turned to him and began with her work. It really didn't take that long to get it off. After removing the prosthetic, he could just peel off the mask. Still, he needed to wash his face after that and Aerith had to remove some remaining make-up.

And once it was done, he was happy to look at his normal face in the mirror instead of a zombie. “That's better. Feeling kinda hot underneath all that stuff...“ He only heard Aerith giggle at this. She had no idea how it was to be a model, she's only the one putting this stuff on people. One thing was good about this though. His face has never been this soft in his life before. With all the things Aerith gave him to make sure nothing would harm him and care for his skin. She was such a good soul...His angel.

After drying off his face, he met her in the living room. She's turned on his Playstation 4 and started a game. At his questioning look, she raised the cover of that Horror game. “I brought it. Wanna play?“

The blonde came over to her and sat next to her on the couch. “Sure.“ The brunette grinned at him happily, and gave him the controller. Good thing that he allowed her to install whatever game she had on his console or else they had to wait for hours till they could play. But before they could start a new game, someone knocked on the door.

“I'll get it!“ Said Aerith, she practically bounced off the couch and skipped to the door. Cloud smiled slightly, as he watched her opening the door. She always brought the sun with her wherever she went. And her cheery nature and happy mood were like a virus, infecting everyone in an instant. “Come in, come in, we just started the game!“

Tifa entered the room with multiple bags from McDonalds and looked at the tv screen. “Which one? That horror game...?“ She asked, as she put the bags on his coffee table and sat down next to him.

“Yeah. I told Aerith to bring it. Wanted to play it for months now.“ Answered the blonde, staring at the screen as the first cut-scene began.

Tifa cringed visibly. “Maybe I should really go now...“ Yep, Tifa would prefer to avoid anything that could be scary.

“No, you can't just leave! Come on, play with us. Maybe you'll love it.“ Aerith fished a burger out of one of the bags and sat down on Clouds other side. Cloud himself was now sandwiched between the girls. Cloud took a glance at Tifa. She already looked frightened, even though nothing bad happened yet. There was just a father-daughter moment there. Then she nodded and said that maybe she could stay a bit longer.

“Hey.“ Began Cloud. “That girl...She gonna die?“

That earned him a slap on his arm from Tifa. “Don't say such things!“

Aerith looked more curious at his statement. “What makes you think that?“

The blonde shrugged, exploring the girl's room now. “Well...it IS a horror game. Those families usually break apart. Plus she's not the girl from the cover.“ Since Aerith didn't say anything back, he mused he must be right.

And just a span of a few minutes, the virus broke out, the first kill happened, running away from zombies and as he predicted, the little girl died. “What? No! How can they do this?!” Yelled Tifa at the screen, having tears in her eyes.

Aerith just gave her a sympathetic smile, while he just shrugged. “Well, it _is_ a horror game...”

“You're really heartless, Cloud...” The raven-haired girl grumbled, glaring at him.

“Hey, what did you expect? Of course people die. Also, the way this virus spread so fast is very unrealistic.” Plus the radio was dead very fast, too. Usually something like this took a bit more time to spread. The girls rolled their eyes and watched him continuing with the game. Of course after that scene they jumped a few years, too.

* * *

In the end Tifa stayed longer than she wanted, bravely getting through all the scary parts. Cloud and Aerith took turns at playing to let the other eat in peace. At some point it...must've happened again. Next thing he knew, he woke up with his head resting on Aerith lap. Then he noticed Aerith having her hand in his hair, petting him like a cat. It felt really nice. “Huh...?”

The brunette stopped and looked down at him. “Hey, sleepy-head. Good morning.” Cloud rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked around. “Tifa left.” Said the girl, before he could question it.

“And why are you still here?” He asked, before looking at his watch. It was pretty late...She should be home and sleeping by now.

“Well, uh, you didn't want to let me go.” Cloud frowned at that. How did he not want him to leave? She could've just left and let him sleep on the couch. “You hugged me and said 'don't go'.” She explained, which embarrassed him more than the fact that he still used her lap as a pillow.

“S-sorry.” He mumbled, before finally sitting up. “I didn't want to keep you that long. You should go home and sleep.” Cloud couldn't look at her. This whole thing was embarrassing enough and if she saw him blushing, he'll surely sink into the ground.

Aerith stood up and stretched herself. Meanwhile Cloud tried his damned best not to look at her. He'll surely end up staring at her. Again. “Yeah, I better. It was still nice hanging out with you. Even if you slept most of the time.” The older girl giggled, making him blush more. What kind of host was he to fall asleep on her two times?! Cloud watched her packing her things and then followed her to the door once she's done.

“Text me when you're home.” He said, always wanting to make sure she arrived home safely. Until now he kept offering her to bring her home but she always declined, saying she could take care of herself.

Aerith smiled at him sweetly. “As always.” She put on her shoes and turned to him again. “One last thing.”

“Yes?”

“You talk in your sleep.” The blonde frowned and hoped to whatever god may or may not exist up there, that he didn't say anything stupid in his sleep. But it seemed like he did say something stupid, since Aerith leaned over to him and kissed his cheek. “Love you, too.” She whispered in his ear, before leaving without another word, or letting his mind catch up to what just happened. The door closed and Cloud stood there for...he didn't know how long, but it felt like hours. At least until Aerith texted him that she was home. But this time she also sent a heart emoji with it.

Only then did it finally dawn on him that he actually confessed his love to her in his sleep. And she loved him back. He had to pinch himself to make sure this wasn't just another dream.


End file.
